March 16, 2004, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Candy Eaton, Program Director

“Conflict Resolution – Parents and Teens”

We still have openings for this FREE course – please call to register! The Hancock County Children’s Council in cooperation with Machias Adult Education, the Maine Parent Federation and the Washington Hancock Community Agency will be presenting this 6-week class beginning Wednesday, March 31, 2004. The course is FREE and classes will be Wednesdays 6-8pm at Machias High School, Court Street, Machias. Space is limited to fifteen adults, so please call 255-4917 Machias Adult and Community Education to register for “Parent Effectiveness in Resolving Conflict”.

Come join us and learn to understand the nature of adolescence, how to communicate more effectively with your teen, negotiate and problem-solve with your teen, and address issues of teen safety. Facilitated by Ronda Alley and Linda Levesque, this group will use the Parent Effectiveness in Resolving Conflict (PERC) program to understand how taking care of yourself will help your relationship with your teen. This class is also an opportunity to explore why you parent the way you do and find support in other parents dealing with similar issues.

Being the parent of a teen is rewarding, exciting, and challenging. In making the change from parenting a child to parenting a young adult, you might feel sad as you see your son or daughter leave childhood. Maybe you worry about sex, drugs, violence, eating habits, grades, or friends. Seeing your teen’s changing values, you may panic. You might also enjoy watching your teenager grown and mature. Many parents find great satisfaction in “getting to know” the new person who is their gradually maturing teen.

We believe that the rewards of parenting teenagers can far outweigh the challenges. With skills and understanding, you can guide your teen to be responsible, cooperative and independent. In doing this, you build a strong, positive relationship with your teenager. Even parents facing serious problems with teens can find more effective ways to get along with and help their teenager.

Funding for this series is made possible by a grant from Mainely Parents, a statewide prevention program of Day One. Mainely Parents is a statewide, grassroots prevention program coordinating mutual support groups, a toll-free Talkline, 1-800-249-5506, for parents under stress, and a quarterly newsletter, the Maine Parent Express which focuses on parenting information, advocacy and awareness of child abuse, substance abuse and key children's issues. Contact their website www.mainelyparents.org to learn about additional resources available to families throughout the state of Maine.

Please contact the Hancock County Children’s Council to learn about other parenting classes and workshops available in our community or visit our Parent Resource Library at 52 Christian Ridge Road, Ellsworth. Please visit our website at www.downeasthealth.org for additional information on child development and family educational resources available or contact Candy Eaton at 667-5304 ext. 261 or email children@downeasthealth.org.